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Sussex students consider NUS split

Students at the University of Sussex have begun moves to break away from the
National Union of Students after a close vote at their annual general meeting
last week.

The students will now hold a campus-wide referendum on independence from the
NUS, which is in the red and losing money due to falling membership fee income
after a spate of disaffiliations around the country.

Nick Scott, Sussex students' communications officer, said there was mounting
annoyance with the NUS, particularly surrounding president Mandy Telford's
close ties with Labour.

"The NUS can't represent all students when so many government policies are
clearly detrimental to students," he said.

Mr Scott said many students were put off by the "careerism" of student leaders,
who often went on to become high-profile members of political parties whose
policies went against students' interests.

And the top-up fees campaign had been "too little too late" in the minds of
some Sussex students who were prepared to seek a vote of no confidence in Ms
Telford at next spring's annual NUS conference.

"We run our union on a near- skeletal budget, and the £30,000 it costs us
to be affiliated to the NUS every year might be better spent on student
welfare," Mr Scott said.

"Disaffiliation of Sussex would be a big blow to the NUS. While there are
obvious benefits to being part of a national movement, we need a healthy debate
about this. At the moment, there is not enough questioning going on."

But a spokesman for the NUS in London said so far every referendum on
disaffiliation had failed and the NUS was confident of winning over students in
Sussex.